History and Origin of Nkpologu Atta community.

MARVELOUS

By Marvelous  

                        HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

 Nkpologu Atta community in Uzo-uwani Local Govt. Area, of Enugu state is located about 15km form the University Town of Nsukka. The town is bounded in the North, West, South and East by Ugbene-Ajima, Nimbo, Uvuru, Akpugo- Ezedike/ Aku and Obimo respectively. Topographically, the town is a beauty to behold with such wonderful terrain that can neither be describe as entirely hilly or flat. Some villages settles on the flat level while others are on the hills, which depicts the picture of God's design to guard the community against external foes. The manner in which Nkpologu atta is surrounded by hills is not anything short of the biblical Israel that God carefully protected with Hills. The Hills doubbles as protection and economic economic advantages as almost all the civil constructiions around Nsukka Division depend on the sharp sand from Nkpologu hills. The proposed Adada state derives its name from Nkpologu's own Adada River. The people of Nkpologu are predominantly farmers amd have over the years been encouraged by the fertile rich soil for the production of all crops commonly growned in the Area. The town is made up of villages Viz: Agbogazi, Agum, Amaenyi, Amaezike, Amaikwerre, Amangbana, Amanyi, Amaogbo, Amaoshebe, Amebo, Amidi, Araka, Arakanyi, Awuzi, Dinamu, Enugu-Ejona, Naka, Neke, Oshegu, Ugbenechara, Ugwuno, Ugwu-Onyishi, Umuanogo, UMUOBIRA, and Uwanyi-ogba. Nkpunator, consisting Agbogazi, Neke and Ugwuogo villages recently sought and got autonomy and is recognized by the State government as an autonomous community to enhance development.

              Historical Origin
 There seems to be two versions of the historical origin of Nkpologu, both based on myth and tales but the one discussed here is definitely more acceptable.

 The Origin of Nkpologu Atta is traced to EZUGWU, a great warrior and Hunter; son of the revered Nnadi Adani and Iyi-Ukpara who founded Adani community in Uzo-uwani Local Govt. Area, Enugu state before the advent of christianity. At the time, such evil practices like slavery, paganism, Killing of twins, and other forms of superstition held sway. Nnadi Adani and his wife Iyi-ugbara were faced with great temptation when their first son, Ezugwu came with the upper tooth before the lower one, an abomination believed would spell doom for the community except the child was disposed Off. Ezugwu parent had no option than to get rid of him but never to kill the handsome child. In adherence to the superstition , Nnadi Adani and his wife placed the infant Ezugwu in a manger and abandoned him in the forest to his fate, an example of the biblical Moses.
 The Misfortune of Ezugu's parents turned the anguish of a certain barren old woman, OKOTO who found the little Ezugu while fetching firewood in the dare-forest into joy. She cuddled him and thanked God for answering her prayers. She pampered him and he grew up rapidly to know and love the old woman, okoto, as his mother and addressed her as NENE. He grew in strength, wisdom and fame, ruling his mates in all physical exercises including wrestling. His mates grew jealous of his unusual conquest at all wrestling bout in the whole of "Ogbo-Amaikwerre" where they lived and resorted To making jest of him as the only way to make him less popular. Ezugwu, the young hunter noted that one incomprehensible idiom of " jee gbuo ekwu chara gi nisi" implying that he should go and sort out his parental anomalies was always directed to him each time he wins a wrestling match. He could neither make head nor tail out of the regular utterances but figure it to be an aspersion and derogatory. The more the embarrassment gathered momentum, the more evasive Nene became in providing an explanation to the idiom for fear of losing her beloved son. She made a promise to open up in three native weeks but it only an alibi to convince him to disregard the idiom for mere jealousy until the day Ezugwu got disenchanted, threatening fire and brimstone amidst brandishing his ever sharp cutlass to end their lives if Nene did not meet his request. Nene had no alternative ay this point than to exhaustively and elaborately narrate the story of his wife; how they came ti become mother and son; what prompted his name Ezugwu, meaning King of the Hills, depicting the location where his was found as well as telling hin who his real parents were. Ezugwu dared what his fate will be took an expedition which later made him popular and immortalized him as the founder of what we have today as Nkpologu Atta.
 Ezugwu summoned up courage and left Nene without bothering to seek out Nnadi Adani, his real parents, to an unknown destination. Ezugwu's preparations and plans prior to his departure from Ogbo-amaikwerre were without any clear destination in mind. His major objective was to separate himself from the perrenial mockery that had consumed his hitherto princely status. While relocating, though direction-less, the warrior in his usual manner turned the movement into a hunting spree. In turns he got exhausted, famished, thirsty and prayed for a place to rest. He persevered and heaved a sigh of relief when he discovered DINAMU, the numero uno, the only community in existence then and what metamorphosed into what we have today as Nkpologu Atta community. Little wonder why Dinamu is indisputably the foundation of Nkpologu Atta; hence referred to as "Dinamu Ntonanyi". The people resident in Dinamu then accepted him with warm reception which endeared him to the people and settled amongst them. His personality spoke volumes of his valor and Leadership potentials which instantly came to the fore. Ezugwu founding of Nkpologu and subsequent settlement coincided with the period. When Onoja Ogbonyi, Atta's warrior and his Igala lieutenants reigned supreme and terrorized neighboring communities right down the whole of Nsukka Division, while the Atta Igala played god from his Idah Palace. Then, the Attah Igala ruled over all the kings around Nsukka division as their warrant and staff of office came from him. It was at the peak of slave trade and the fear of Onoja Ogbonyi was the beginning of wisdom; but not for Ezugwu who was courage-personified. Ezugwu valor and wisdom were responsible for Nkpologu's vast land mass and great frontiers that cannot be compared with any other town around Nsukka area. At his hunting expeditions, he will feign friendship to farmers in the neighboring communities anytime he gets to their farms and sell the idea of Common boundary demarcations between their communities for good neighborliness. The simple procedure he had always suggested to the unsuspecting farmers was to go home after work and return the next day. He convinced them that the spot wherever they met served as the boundary unaware thay Ezugwu would shadow him closed to his home aand sleep in the bush and before the farmer came out of his homestead early the next day, Ezugwu was already there. By agreement the exact spot they met would be marked and a survival tree like "Ojiri Osi" planted there as their boundary. That was how Ezugwu outwitted all the communities and succeeded in putting Nkpologu Atta's boundaries with their sister communities nearly on there doorstep.
 The happiness that eluded Ezugwu at Ogbo-Amaikwerre had given way to another chapter of his life in Dinamu where he was reverenced, culminating into his marriage to Affa. Sadly, Affa later died without the marriage producing any child. In his hunting adventure, as usual, the Hero decided to penetrate Atta Igala's Heavily guarded territory at Idah to find out what made his Majesty and retinue of Warriors tick. Though a mixed grill, that expedition marked a turning point in Ezugwu's life. He was overpowered and humiliated but not without killing some of Atta's body guards. The hallmark of the event was that After four days of imprisonment, torture, Ezugwu refused to prostrate to the Atta Igala. The effrontery of telling the king to his face that Ezugwu Nkpologu does not prostrate before any man baffled his majesty. Rather than kill or continue to incarcerate Ezugwu, Atta Igala in admiration of his bravery and courage threw a lavish party and to cap it all gave Ezugwu his daughter, Princess Aya Atta to marry. It was from theae myth that a son of Nkpologu atta does not prostrate or kneel before the Atta of Igala originated. Similarly too, the same way Atta Igala is referred to as Agaba Idu so as Eze Nkpologu Atta too also referred to and greeted as Agaba Idu. In nomenclature too, the similarities largely abound as both Nkpologu and Igala people answer the same names like Idu, Ojoma, Akuchu, Akogwu, et al. The attachment of Atta quite prominently like "Okorobia Atta", "Nwagbogo Atta", "Dimkpa Atta", etc is evidential on the similarities between the two communities.
 On return to Dinamu, Ezugwu formerly christened it Nkpologu and sandwiched Aya in between Nkpologu and Atta; that is Nkpologu Aya Atta, a sign of love for and bestowed a sense of belonging on his beloved wife. It is most often shortened to Nkpologu Atta. The marriage of Ezugwu and Aya was blessed with three sons namely Agu, Dikwere and Areji who became the founding fathers of the major quarters of Nkpologu : Akibute Agu, Ogba Dikwerre and Ejuona Areji respectively which later metamorphosed into the twenty five villages in Nkpologu atta today.
 The principal local administrative officers of the community were shared among Ezugwu and Aya's three sons with the Eze given to Akibute, Onyishi to Ogba and Asogba to Ejuona respectively while Ezugwu will forever remain a hero, a god and ancestor enshrined in Dinamu for the entire community. As a man of his words, and satisfied that that he had established his kingdom, he set out to meet Nene at Ogbo-Amaikwerre as promised. He gladly narrated his exploits to Nene who in turn encourage him to fish out Nnadi Adani and Iyi-Ukpara his real parents.
 On his Arrival followed by introduction, Nnadi Adani his father did not argue Ezugwu's personality as Okpara but was not readt to accord him his full patrimony. The lopsided primogeniture gave way to a fight Ezugwu and his younger brothers. Ezugwu snatched the Family's central sacred spear ("Arua") from the shrined and as his younger siblings dragged it to subdue him, the spear broke while Ezugwu escaped with the head back to Dinamu Ntonanyi Nkpologu Atta. Thenceforth, Nkpologu and Adani have maintained brotherly relationship close enough that indigenes of both communities. Cannot spill each others blood. Consequently, banished people form either towns interchange abode during their period of exile that usually last for twenty years.

                           Written By
    IGATTA TOCHUKWU ( Marvelous Da Don)